Adjustable swing pipe for liquid-storage tanks



May 8, 1928.

J. H. WIGGINS ADJUSTABLE SWING PIPE Fo R LIQUID STORAGE TANKS Filed Oct. s. 1926 JM WEN TOE J M5. fl Wm Q 7' To )E'NE v5 Patented May 8,4928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADJUSTABLE SWING PIPE FOR LIQUID-STORAGE TANKS.

Application filed October 6, 1926. Serial No. 139,852.

This'invention relates to filling pipes, commonly referred to as swing pipes, that are used for introducing liquid into large storage tanks, for example, tanks of the kind that are used for storing oil and which vary from fifty feet to one hundred and fifty feet in diameter.

The main object of my invention is to provide a swing pipe for a liquid storage tank that can be adjusted easily to change the elevation of the discharge end of the ipe, and which is combined with the tank in such a manner that it does not exert a radial force on the roof of the tank.

Another object is to provide a swing pipe for liquid storage tanks that can be used either with a tank provided with a stationary roof or a floating roof and which is so constructed and arran ed that it can be easily raised or lowere by manipulating a device located on the outside of the tank.

To this end I propose to use a float or similar element for sustaining thefree end of a swingl pipe and provide an adjustable means, aving no connection with the roof of the tank, for moving the free end of said pipe downwardly in opposition to theupward pressure exerted on same by said float. My invention is applicable to any type or kind of liquid storage tank; it is applicable to a pipe that is used for introducing or withdrawin liquid from a tank, and the float and a ustable means that are used for controlling the elevation of the discharge end of the pipe can be constructed and arranged in various ways without departing from the spirit'of my invention.

Fi re 1 of the drawings is a vertical sectiona view of a liquid storage tank equipped with an adjustable swing pipe constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Figure 2 is a top lan view of said pipe and the mechanism t at is used for adjustin the same.

n the drawin s A designates a liquid storage tank whic may either be provided with a stationa roof or a floating roof B thatis snpporte by the liquid 0: in the tank, and C desi ates a swin pipe that is arranged insid e of said tank The pipe C is hinged or pivotally mounted at one end in such a manner that the discharge end of same can move upwardly and downwardly relatively to the bottom of the tank, said pipe C being herein illustrated as being oscillatingly mounted on a lateral extension 1 on a supply pipe 2 that projects inwardly through the side wall of the tank adjacent the bottom of the tank. The free end of the pipe C is sustained by one or more floats D that can be combined with said pipe in various ways. Preferably, the free end of the pipe C is attached to a pair of floats which are of suflicient size or area to move the free erd of the pipe upwardly to the surface of the liquid in the tank when no counteracting force or downward force is exerted on said pipe.

In order that the elevation of the discharge end of the pipe C may be varied, I equip said pipe with an adjusting mechanism which is herein illustrated as consisting of a cable E and a'winch F combined in such a manner that the free end of the pipe C will move downwardly towards the bottom of the tank when the crank 3 of said winch is rotated in one direction. As shown in Figure 1, the cable E is attached at its lower end to the bottom of the tank and leads upwardly from the same to the shive 4 on the free end of the pipe C, thence longitudinally of said pipe to a shive 5 carried by a bracket on the side wall of the tank, and thence upwardly and over a shive 6 arranged at the upper edge of the side wall of the tank, the end of said cable being attached to the drum 7 of the winch.

In a storage tank of the construction above described the buoyanc of the liquid in the tank is utilized to sustain the swing pi e Q, and the position of the discharge end 0 said pipe is governed by winding the cable E onto or oil of the drum 7 of the winch F. Accordingly, it is possible for a workman located on the outside of the tank to easily raise or lower the swing pipe. Still another advantage of such a swing pipe, is that the mechanism used to sustain and adjust the swing pipe is not carried by and has no connection with the floatin roof, thereby preventing the swing pipe rom exerting rad al forces on the root. In order that the discharge end of the swing pipe 0 may be repaired or ins ected easily. the roof or deck B of the tan is provided with a hatch G disposed so that the discharge end portion of the swing pipe will move upwardly into same, as shown in broken lines in Figure 1,

when the cable E is slacked off or unwound from the drum 7 of the winch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A liquid storage tank provided with a roof, a hinged or pivotally mounted pipe arranged inside of the tank, a float for moving the free end of said pipe upwardly, and an independent means. having no connection with the roof. for moving the free end of said pipe downwardly in opposition to the pressure exerted on same by said float.

2. A swing pipe for liquid storage tanks combined with a float that sustains the free end of same, and an adjustable means for controlling the elevation of the free end of said pipe, comprising a part that is adapted to be actuated so as to swing the free end of the pipe downwardly, towards the bottom of the tank.

3. In a liquid storage tank, the combination of a hinged or pivotally mounted pipe arranged inside of the tank, a float combined with said pipe for exerting upward pressure on the free end or discharge end of same a. cable combined with said pipe and with the lower portion of the tank for exerting pressure on the free end of said pipe in opposition to said float.

4. In a liquid storage tank. a floating roof, a hinged or pivotally mounted pipe arranged inside of the tank. a float attached to said pipe adjacent the tree end of same for sustaining said pipe. and a cable for exerting do\\'n\\'ard pressure on the free end of said pipe. operable from the exterior of the tank.

5. ln :1 liquid storage tank. a swing pipe, 3 float; combined with said pipe for exerting upward pressure on the free end of same, a cable attached to the bottom of the tank and leading upwardly from same through a shire on said pipe, and a mechanism arranged on the exterior of the side Wall of the tank for causing said cable to exert downward pressure on the free end of said pipe.

JOHN H. WIGGINS. 

